Seattle photographer, Lisa Hagen Glynn, sees the face amongst the signs. In truth, each artful photographer worth her salt is also part-detective. If a photo showed itself each time, there would be no photographers. But few are as sharp as Glynn, who sees life and blossoms in that which decays. She sees the squinting eyes, round ears and bulbous nose amongst the political propaganda. She sees the singer’s braids under gold lights and, as the glint hits her top curl, Glynn snaps a shot that will soon find the pages of publications like DownBeat, The Wire, Jazz Times, the Seattle alternative The Stranger, the non-profit Real Change, or the Pacific Northwest paper of record The Seattle Times.

 

Glynn, who remembers the first photo she ever shot using her father’s old Kodak Instamatic, has studied and toiled at the medium practically ever since. She looks for the story amongst the noise. The lifted eyebrow as the comedian bombs, the light bulb that does not flash amongst the fireworks. To date, her work has appeared in myriad outlets, including her own blog, Hardly Raining. She is a staple in the pit of a concert (notable subjects include Herbie Hancock, First Aid Kit, and Mark Lanegan) or festivals (THING, Bumbershoot, Freakout, and Earshot Jazz). To many, she’s a friendly face, a warm smile behind the lens as she captures the strands of another unraveling soul. 

 

A constant student, part of what makes Glynn sought after is that she does not pretend to know everything before she begins. Studied, she knows to keep an open mind. But Glynn, who is also a clinician, is no simple mirror reflecting back a given moment or performance. In the way a dessert isn’t just flour and sugar, the product that she creates showcases depth, thought, precision. Her delicacy is a flavor so keen you find yourself in the shelves pushing about looking for more. Glynn’s work cuts through the wash of images on screen and provides a complete picture. Remember those?